NEGOTIATING IDENTITY AND AGENCY OF AN ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED STUDENT-TEACHER IN AN EFL SPEAKING CONTEXT
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Abstract
This life-history narrative inquiry reflects my commitment as an English teacher educator who values sustained professional learning through a deep engagement with my student’s life story. Drawing on Anderson (1991) and Norton (1997), the study examines Noey’s narrative to theorize the contexts I encounter as an English educator in postcolonial Indonesia. It traces Noey’s life story alongside the (co)construction and reconstruction of his identity as a student in a teacher education institution, with particular focus on the challenges he has faced as a young man pursuing the aspirations that have shaped who he is today. Noey’s narrative illustrates the central role of strong academic motivation and sustained perseverance in his pursuit of becoming a professional English teacher, despite significant economic constraints. It also highlights the critical role of confidence, patience, and courage that have enabled him to transform his life journey. Taken together, the narrative elements presented in this narrative study reveal three key motivating forces in Noey’s development, namely a strong orientation toward achievement, an imagined future self as a professional English teacher, and the influence of significant others, particularly his mother, uncle, and lecturer (mentor).
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